Internet Access Cost

How Much Does Internet Access Cost?

These days there are several options when purchasing Internet access at home. For those who prefer lower prices but don't mind slower speeds, dialup options via a telephone and computer modem are still available. But for people who desire faster download and upload speeds to watch streaming video and to surf the web more quickly, DSL (broadband Internet over the telephone line), cable (Internet through the cable television coaxial line) or fiber optic (digital data transmissions of light) offer broadband options for faster home Internet service.

Typical costs:

Though not as common as it once was over a decade ago, dialup Internet access does still exist and is a low-cost option for those who are looking for an inexpensive plan and only do not necessarily view multimedia content.

NetZero[1] , Juno[2] and EarthLink[3] still offer these unlimited dialup services Internet for $10 to $12.50 per month.

DSL service from AT&T[4] currently has three monthly high speed Internet plants at $35 (1.5 Mbps down/ 384 Kbps up), $40 (3.0 Mbps down/ 512 Kbps up) and $45 (6.0 Mbps down/ 768 Kbps up). These plans all assume that one does not have local home phone service from AT&T. Having home phone service and then adding on a new high speed Internet plan from AT&T[5] can add $20-$25 per month for the first year, then runs $20-$40 per month depending on the speed. Not all plans are available in all areas.

Cable broadband Internet service from a company such as Comcast[6] require that the customer be a current subscriber to either cable TV or their digital voice service in order to sign up for one of the Internet access plans. Cable broadband speeds tend to be faster than DSL and may cost more in some cases. The "Economy Internet Service" (1 Mbps down/ 384 Kbps up) costs $25/month. The next level "Performance" (12 Mbps down/ 2 Mbps up) is $43/month. Their "Blast!" speed tier (16 Mbps down/ 2 Mbps up) is $53 a month and the "Ultra" option (22 MBPs/ 5 Mbps up) comes in at $63 a month.

Fiber optic broadband is another option as the technology is fast becoming more and more prevalent in neighborhoods. These speeds are can be even faster than cable broadband. Verizon[7] offers such a service and does not require home phone service. However, the price is $5 less on the plans if the customer does already have Verizon home phone. Their three plans come in at $55 a month (15 Mbps down/ 5 Mbps up), $70 a month (25 Mbps down/ 25 Mbps up) and $145 a month (50 Mbps down/ 20 Mbps up).

For faster broadband speeds, a wireless broadband router and a network cable to connect to the home computer may be included in the kit.

Often, there is additional packaged software such as antivirus, pop-up blockers or spam protection that have a limited free trial for a few months.

Additional costs:

For the broadband services, if the customer is able to do a self-installation, there is usually no charge. Technician installation can range from $50-$80 (Comcast and Verizon) to $200 (AT&T).

Having the technician also set up the actual home network or do the computer connection can add $100.

For dialup Internet access, an internal PCI modem for the dialup option costs between $8 and $20. An external or USB modem can cost from $25 to up to $70.

Discounts:

For broadband services, there are often bundled services (Internet and cable TV, Internet and digital voice or Internet , etc.) that can bring down the total cost if a customer already has one of the services mentioned.

TIP: Broadband providers sometimes offer customer retention promotions. If the costs goes up after the promotional pricing is over, it doesn't hurt to call customer service and inquire about extending a promotion for customer loyalty.

Shopping for internet access:

Note that not all services and providers may be available in a particular geographical location. Most of the time, there will be at least two or three options available to a home computer user for Internet access. Service quality and speeds may also vary as well.

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Of course the download speed is always significantly less than what is advertised and theupload speed is so slow that I rarely try to upload anything. The connection is unreliable and is "lost" several times a day. This interupts downloads and requires rebooting the modem..it gets tedious. They have raised the price ten dollars per month in the last two years. The last one jumped up 6.00/mo.in Dec.2016. They are getting very close to the point where their somewhat mediocre service levels will no longer be worth the buffering,sputtering,freezing,slowness,connection losses,and the increasing prices. One more price increase without improved service will send me elsewhere. The connection was just lost have to reset the modem now...see what I mean???

For the price i'm paying i believe Park Region is a complete RIP OFF! The speed is a miserably slow @ 2mbps for the basic plan. They offer faster plans if your willing to spend spend spend each month. Maybe i'm too use to East Coast cable (NJ), where you pay for a plan but it has nothing to do with "speed". instead it depends entirely on the line running down your street. I was fortunate enough to have a T1 cable connection there for awhile. zoooom!

Before I start I will post information readily available from netflix.Below are the Internet download speed recommendations per stream for playing movies and TV shows through Netflix.0.5 Megabits per second - Required broadband connection speed1.5 Megabits per second - Recommended broadband connection speed3.0 Megabits per second - Recommended for SD quality5.0 Megabits per second - Recommended for HD quality25 Megabits per second - Recommended for Ultra HD qualityI [email protected], I have security cameras, and i also have satelite that uses my internet speed for vod and these speeds are not enough. I can't game and stream at the same time nor much else tbh. I know what I'm doing in this field and have been working in it for 7 years now. It would be nice if we could pass a law that would provide us with equal access across the country instead of catering to certain criteria. I wouldnt even mind paying more as I was paying 165 for business class cable where i was for 50/5.

i look at my bill and the bundle alone cost $120.so that means $60. in equipment and made up fees and surcharges,the TV service is just crap with signal glitch and blackout on-demand works when it feels like , service calls are pointless nothing ever gets fixed.

i do not recommend this company. Not good internet speed, with constant problems. when you memorize a busines phone number, you know its bad. i usually get around 7-9 mbps download...false advertisement.

When I got cox high speed internet back in 2001 it was only $25.00 but then they started doing that bundle crap. The more services you have the lower your bill.. Their TV service is sub-par, their phone service is useless since no one has a LAN line but their internet has always been reliable even if it has gone up $41 dollars in the past 15 years.

Service for internet only. The first year it was $14.95. After the first year is double. It is slow- You cannot watch a full youtube video without pausing to catch up. May have to upgrade to the 1.5Mb/384kbps at $38.

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